The courts do not draw their respect from the complex arbitration matters that they deal with or the authority bestowed on them. The courts, we believe, draw their respect from the impartial way in which they dispense justice. Not everyone agrees with some of the judgements handed down but no one has ever faulted the impartial and the attempts to try and dispense justice without fear or favour. Even where our judges have been perceived to have misread the law, no one has ever pointed out that they could have been influenced by anything other than the law or their conscience. Most lawyers consider the Bench to be the ultimate; they all aspire to serve the country at Bench one day. This is good and we have to keep it this way. The truth of the matter is that the Bench enjoys public confidence because of its credibility. If anything were to undermine the credibility of the Bench the public belief in it will instantly vanish.
In other countries judges are known to accept bribes to favour certain litigants over others. But one does not need to engage in these types of outlandish acts to erode public confidence, there are subtle means.
